THE Pan Africanist Congress has been given more time to prepare for a hearing before the joint investigating team probing SA’s controversial R43-billion arms deal.  

And ANC Chief Whip Tony Yengeni has finally complied with Parliament’s ethics committee’s request to answer claims that he failed to disclose a luxury vehicle allegedly received from a company involved in the deal.  

PAC MP Patricia De Lille and the party’s secretary-general Thami ka Plaatjie were on Wednesday served a summons by the investigating team to disclose information on the deal.  

They were expected to report to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka in Pretoria at 2pm on Friday. However, spokesman Sipho Mgwema said on Thursday the meeting was now expected to take place “in early May”, following a request for a postponement from the PAC’s lawyers.  

The subpoenas followed recent claims that the party has evidence linking senior African National Congress officials to irregularities in the arms deal.  

PAC president Dr Stanley Mogoba said the party would not reveal the identity of any person implicated in the deal to the media "in the near future". However, this did not mean the party was not prepared to co-operate with the investigating team. "Whilst the PAC are aware of the identity of people, it is not our place to reveal it," he said.  

The party caused a stir earlier this week when it announced that it had information linking more than five senior ANC officials to irregularities in the arms deal. Mogoba said the PAC had always wanted an extensive investigation into the deal. "The PAC always said that we will co-operate with legitimate investigations whether they be public or private and our legal team will be contacting the offices of Bulelani Ngcuka to make the arrangements to postpone the matter to a convenient date."  

He challenged the investigating team to disclose whether other persons whose names had appeared in the media concerning allegations of wrongdoing had also summonsed.  

These included Yengeni; former Defence Minister Joe Modise; retired SA Defence Force General and Modise’s brother-in-law Lambert Moloi, and government’s chief procurement officer Chippy Shaik.  

Mogoba criticised the lack of action on the investigation, saying the PAC had made public information on the arms deal two years ago.  

Meanwhile, Yengeni met a deadline to respond to claims that he failed to disclose a luxury vehicle and residential home on the Parliamentary register of members’ interests. He had been given until 5pm on Thursday to respond to a third request from the committee, after originally questioning the committee’s procedures and failing to meet the previous two deadlines. It is now understood that he submitted his response to the relevant officials on Wednesday morning.  

Committee chairwoman Sister Bernard Ncube said Yengeni’s response “will remain strictly embargoed” until Registrar of Members’ Interests Fazela Mohamed had completed her “follow-up processes and procedures” as laid down by the committee’s procedure for investigation.  

Democratic Alliance Chief Whip Douglas Gibson lodged the official complaint with the committee on April 6, following newspaper claims that Yengeni had received a luxury vehicle as a “gift” from a company involved in the arms deal. Yengeni has previously denied any wrongdoing, saying he acquired the Mercedes-Benz 4x4 legitimately.

 With acknowledgment to Sapa and Business Day.